Attitude to health and readiness for treatment in the situation of pandemic
Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented model for psychology to explore the factors of adherence to recommendations, vaccination and protective actions in a situation of uncertainty.
Objective. The aim of the study is to reveal the relationship between attitudes towards health and readiness for treatment with adherence to recommendations and protective actions during the pandemic.
Methods. In November-December 2020, 523 respondents aged 18 to 65 filled in scales to assess their tendency for monitoring information about the pandemic, level of anxiety caused by the pandemic, vaccination, and protective actions during the pandemic, their readiness for vaccination, illness-related locus of control, self-efficacy in relation to treatment, “hypochondriac discourse”, as well as readiness for treatment and ideas on the specifics of medication.
Results. Respondents were more willing to actively comply with safety recommendations if they (1) had external locus of control in treatment — this effect was both direct and indirect, which implied higher pandemic anxiety; (2) believed in alternative medicine methods; (3) declared readiness for treatment; and also (4) valued health care as a resource conservation, which influenced compliance indirectly — through the higher pandemic anxiety. Adherence to self-isolation was higher with health being more important as a means of protection against risk (both direct and indirect effects) and indirectly (because of greater pandemic anxiety) as well as with an external locus of control for treatment. Vaccination readiness depended on the internal locus of control for illness causes, lower internal and higher external locus of control for treatment, and also distrust toward the medical system. At the same time, mistrust in the medical system was characterized by two indirect effects in relation to lower readiness for vaccination: on the one hand, distrust was associated with greater anxiety about the pandemic and therefore greater readiness for vaccination, and on the other hand, with greater anxiety about vaccination and therefore less readiness for it. Respondents reported better lifestyle control in cases of more pronounced self-efficacy, confidence in the importance of taking care of health and resorting to the methods of alternative medicine, as well as declared readiness for treatment. Outdoor trips were associated with self-efficacy and confidence in the importance of treatment with alternative medicine. Both of these effects were not explained by pandemic anxiety and vaccination anxiety.
Conclusion. Active and passive adherence to recommendations, as well as other ways of caring for health, depend differently on attitudes towards health and readiness for treatment.
References
Ames, H., Glenton, C., Lewin, S. (2017). Consumers and Communication Group Parents’ and informal caregivers’ views and experiences of communication about routine childhood vaccination: a synthesis of qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, (2), CD011787. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011787.pub2
Bell, S., Clarke, R., Mounier-Jack, S., Walker, J.L., Paterson, P. (2020). Parents’ and guardians’ views on the acceptability of a future COVID-19 vaccine: A multi-methods study in England. Vaccine, 38 (49), 7789–7798. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.10.027
Brooks, S.K., Webster, R.K., Smith, L.E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., Rubin, G.J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395 (10227), 912–920. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
Byrne, M.K., Deane, F.P. (2012). Treatment Adherence. In R. King, C. Lloyd, T. Meehan, F.P. Deane, D.J. Kavanagh (Eds.), Manual of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Caserotti, M., Girardi, P., Rubaltelli, E., Tasso, A., Lotto, L., Gavaruzzia, T. (2021). Associations of COVID-19 risk perception with vaccine hesitancy over time for Italian residents. Social Sciences and Medicine, 272, 113688. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113688
Cerda, A.A., García, L.Y. (2021). Hesitation and Refusal Factors in Individuals’ Decision–Making Processes Regarding a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination. Frontier in Public Health, 9, 626852. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.626852
Detoc, M., Bruel, S., Frappe, P., Tardy, B., Botelho-Nevers, E., Gagneux-Brunona, A. (2020). Intention to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in France during the pandemic. Vaccine, 38 (45), 7002–7006. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.09.041
Dini, G., Toletone, A., Sticchi, L., Orsi, A., Bragazzi, N.L., Durando, P. (2018). Influenza vaccination in healthcare workers: A comprehensive critical appraisal of the literature. Human Vaccines Immunotherapeutics, 14 (3), 772–789. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1348442
Freeman, D., Waite, F., Rosebrock, L., Petit, A., Causier, C., East, A., Lambe, S. (2020). Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England. Psychological Medicine, 52 (2), 1–30. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720001890
Horne, R. (2000). Assessing perceptions of medication: psychological perspectives. In Handbook of Drug Research Methodology. London: UK Drug Utilization Research Group.
Horne, R., Weinman, M., Hankins, M. (1996). The beliefs about medication questionnaire: the development and evaluation of a new method for assessing the cognitive representation of medication. Psychology and health, 14, 1–24.
Huang, Y., Zhao, N. (2020). Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during COVID-19 outbreak in China: a web-based cross-sectional survey. Psychiatry Research, 228, 112954. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112954
Humphreys, K.L., Myint, M.T., Zeanah, C.H. (2020). Increased Risk for Family Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pediatrics, 146 (1), e2020082. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020–0982
Jang, S.M., Mckeever, B.W., Mckeever, R., Kim, J.K. (2019). From Social Media to Mainstream News: The Information Flow of the Vaccine–Autism Controversy in the US, Canada, and the UK. Health Communication, 34 (1), 110–117. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1384433
Karlsson, L.C., Soveri, A., Lewandowsky, S., Karlsson, L., Karlsson, H., Nolvi, S., Karukivi, M., Lindfelt, M., Antfolka, J. (2021). Fearing the disease or the vaccine: The case of COVID-19. Personality and Indiviual. Differences, 172, 110590. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110590
Kaufman, J., Ryan, R., Walsh, L., Horey, D., Leask, J., Robinson, P., Hill, S., Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group. (2018). Face-to-face interventions for informing or educating parents about early childhood vaccination. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, 5 (5), CD010038. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010038.pub3
Kowalski, J., Marchlewska, M., Molenda, Z., Górska, P., Gawęda, L. (2020). Adherence to safety and self-isolation guidelines, conspiracy and paranoia-like beliefs during COVID-19 pandemic in Poland — associations and moderators. Psychiatry Research, 294, 113540. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113540
Lavsa, S., Holzworth, A., Ansani, N. (2011). Selection of a validated scale for measuring medication adherence. Journal of American Pharmacist Association, 51 (1), 90–94.
Morisky, D., Green, L.W., Levine, D.M. (1986). Concurrent and predictive validity of a self-reported measure of medication adherence. Medical Care, 24 (1), 67–74.
Nelyubina, A.N. (2019). Psychological factors of compliant behavior and adherence to treatment. In A.Sh. Tkhostov, E.I. Rasskazova (Eds.), Handbook of Health Psychology (pp. 753–794). Moscow: Izdatel’stvo MGU. (In Russ.).
Pérez-Carbonell, L., Meurling, I.J., Wassermann, D., Gnoni, V., Leschziner, G., Weighall, A., Ellis, J., Durrant, S., Hare, A., Steier, J. (2020). Impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on sleep. Journal of Thoracic Diseases, 12 (2), 163–175. doi: 0.21037/jtd-cus-2020-015
Rasskazova, E.I., Gul’dan, V.V., Tkhostov, A.Sh. (2016). Psychological content of “hypochondriac discourse”: relationship between value of health care and beliefs about body, illness and treatment. Vestnik YuUrGU. Seriya: Psikhologiya (Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Series “Psychology”), 9 (2), 60–70. doi: 10.14529/psy160207 (In Russ.).
Rasskazova, E.I., Tkhostov, A.Sh. (2016). Validation of methodics of illness and halth–related locus of control and treatment self–efficacy. Vestnik YuUrGU. Seriya: Psikhologiya (Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Series “Psychology”), 9 (1), 71–83. doi: 10.14529/psy160108. (In Russ.).
Rasskazova, E.I., Tkhostov, A.Sh. (2021). Readiness to vaccination against coronavirus as a measure of trust to official medical recommendations: the role of anxiety and beliefs. Natsional’nyi psikhologicheskii zhurnal (National psychological journal), 1 (41), 76–90. doi: 10.11621/npj.2021.0107 (In Russ.).
Rodriguez, L.M., Litt, D.M., Stewart, S.H. (2020). Drinking to cope with the pandemic: The unique associations of COVID-19-related perceived threat and psychological distress to drinking behaviors in American men and women. Addictive Behaviors, 110, 106532.
Roy, D., Tripathy, S., Kar, S.K., Sharma, N., Verma, S.K., Kaushal, V. (2020). Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 8 (51), 102083. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102083
Schwarzer, R. (2008). Modeling Health Behavior Change: How to Predict and Modify the Adoption and Maintainance of Health Behavior. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57 (1), 1–29.
Schwarzer, R., Renner, B. (2000). Health-specific self-efficacy scales. Berlin: Freie Universitet, 2000.
Sherman, S.M., Smith, L.E., Sim, J., Amlôt, R., Cutts, M., Dasch, H., Rubin, J., Sevdalisb, N. (2021). COVID-19 vaccination intention in the UK: results from the COVID–19 vaccination acceptability study (CoVAccS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Human Vaccines Immunotherapeutics, 17 (6), 1612–1621. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1846397
Smith, L.E., Amlȏt, R., Lambert, H., Oliverd, I., Robine, C., Yardley, L., Rubina, G.B. (2020). Factors associated with adherence to self–isolation and lockdown measures in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. Public Health, 187, 41–52. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.07.024
Svarstad, B.L., Chewning, B., Sleath, B.L., Claesson, C. (1999.). The Brief Medication Questionnaire: A tool for screening patient adherence and barriers to adherence. Patient Education and Counseling, 37 (2), 113–24. doi: 10.1016/S0738-3991(98)00107-4
Tashlykov, V.A. (1984). Psychology of treatment process. Leningrad: Meditsina, 1984. (In Russ.).
Tkhostov, A.Sh., Rasskazova, E.I. (2020). Psychological content of anxiety and prophylaxis in the situation of infodemia: defense against coronavirus of vicious cycle of anxiety. Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya (Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy), 28 (2), 70–89. doi: 10.17759/cpp.2020280204. (In Russ.).
Tkhostov, A.Sh., Raizman, E.M. (2005). Subjective bodily experience and hypochondria: cultural–historical aspect. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal (Psychological Journal), 26 (2), 102–107. (In Russ.).
Verger, P., Scronias, D., Dauby, N., Adedzi, K.A., Gobert, C., Bergeat, M., Gagneur, A., Dubé, E. (2021). Attitudes of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 vaccination: a survey in France and French–speaking parts of Belgium and Canada, 2020. Eurosurveillance, 26 (3), 2002047. doi: 10.2807/1560–7917.ES.2021.26.3.2002047
Wallston, K.A., Stein, M.J., Smith, C.A. (1994). Form C of the MHLC Scales: A Condition–Specific Measure of Locus of Control. Journal of Personality Assessment, 63, 534–553. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa6303_10
Wallston, K.A., Wallston, B.S., DeVellis, R. (1978). Development of the Multidimensional HLOC (MHLC) Scales. Health Education Monographs, 6 (2), 160–170. doi: 10.1177/109019817800600107
Wang, C., Han, B., Zhao, T., Liu, H., Liu, B., Chen, L., Xie, M., Liu, J., Zheng, H., Zhang, S., Wang, Y., Huang, N., Du, J., Liu, Y.-O., Lu, Q.-B., Cuia, F. (2021). Vaccination willingness, vaccine hesitancy, and estimated coverage at the first round of COVID-19 vaccination in China: A national cross-sectional study. Vaccine, 39 (21), 2833–2842. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.020
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., McIntyre, R.S., Choo, F.N., Tran, B., Ho, R., Sharma, V.K., Hoe, C. (2020). A Longitudinal Study on the Mental Health of General Population during the COVID-19 Epidemic in China. Brain Behavior Immunity, 87, 40–48. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028
Webster, R.K., Brooks, S.K., Smith, L.E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Rubin, G.J. (2020). How to improve adherence with quarantine: rapid review of the evidence. Public Health, 182, 163–169. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.03.007
Wilson, K., Keelan, J. (2013). Social media and the empowering of opponents of medical technologies: The case of anti-vaccinationism. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15, e103.
Recieved: 07/26/2022
Accepted: 11/01/2022
Published: 02/20/2023
Keywords: аttitudes to health; compliant behavior; anxiety; readiness to vaccination; actions in the pandemic situation
Available online since: 20.02.2023
-
To cite this article:
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)